Xiaomi's stumble allows Apple to reclaim No.2 spot in smartphones
Hong Kong (CNN Business)Xiaomi stumbled in the third quarter as it grappled with fallout from the global chip shortage and fiercer competition.
The Chinese company, which only recently became the world's second-biggest smartphone maker, fell back to third place behind Apple (AAPL) in the three months ended September, according to Counterpoint Research and Canalys.
Posting earnings on Tuesday, Xiaomi said that its smartphone business had been severely affected by the ongoing shortage of semiconductors, which it expects to continue through the first half of next year.
"This year, there is a very special background, and that is there is a shortage of components globally," Wang Xiang, Xiaomi's president, said on an earnings call. "The shortage is a big challenge to us."
The company logged 43.9 million global smartphone shipments in the third quarter of 2021, down about 6% compared with the same period last year.
Xiaomi has called smartphones "the cornerstone" of its business, which includes other connected devices such as home appliances. Lately, the company has also announced a push into electric cars, with plans to mass produce its first vehicle in the first half of 2024.
It excited investors this summer after leapfrogging Apple to become the world's second best-selling manufacturer. The Beijing-based company's shipments had soared in the three months ended June, trailing only those of Samsung (SSNLF).
Setbacks on supply
Since then, however, Xiaomi has been hit hard by supply chain woes.
Tarun Pathak, a research director at Counterpoint, said that while component shortages had affected virtually every vendor, Xiaomi had to contend with bigger headaches due to its extensive lineup.
In the most recent quarter, the company offered more than 50 different smartphone models, compared to about 14 that Apple had on the market, he estimated.
That adds complexity and "becomes challenging," said Pathak. "Because you have to deal with a range of components."
A relative lack of exposure to the problem helped Apple, in part, reclaim the second spot in the race in the third quarter, he added.
小米的失利让苹果重新夺回智能手机第二的位置
香港（美国有线电视新闻网）小米在第三季度陷入困境，因为它正在努力应对全球芯片短缺和更激烈竞争的影响。
根据 Counterpoint Research 和 Canalys 的数据，这家最近才成为全球第二大智能手机制造商的中国公司在截至 9 月的三个月内跌至第三位，仅次于苹果 (AAPL)。
小米在周二公布财报时表示，其智能手机业务受到半导体持续短缺的严重影响，预计这种情况将持续到明年上半年。
“今年有一个非常特殊的背景，那就是全球零部件短缺，”小米总裁王翔在财报电话会议上表示。 “短缺对我们来说是一个巨大的挑战。”
该公司在 2021 年第三季度的全球智能手机出货量达到 4390 万部，与去年同期相比下降了约 6%。
小米将智能手机称为其业务的“基石”，其中包括家用电器等其他联网设备。最近，该公司还宣布进军电动汽车领域，并计划在 2024 年上半年量产其第一辆汽车。
在超越苹果成为全球第二畅销的制造商之后，它在今年夏天令投资者兴奋不已。在截至 6 月的三个月中，这家总部位于北京的公司的出货量飙升，仅次于三星 (SSNLF)。
供应受挫
然而，从那以后，小米一直受到供应链困境的沉重打击。
Counterpoint 的研究主管塔伦·帕塔克 (Tarun Pathak) 表示，虽然组件短缺几乎影响到了每个供应商，但由于产品阵容庞大，小米不得不应对更大的麻烦。
他估计，在最近一个季度，该公司提供了 50 多种不同的智能手机型号，而苹果在市场上只有 14 款。
Pathak 说，这增加了复杂性并“变得具有挑战性”。 “因为你必须处理一系列组件。”
他补充说，相对缺乏对这个问题的曝光在一定程度上帮助苹果在第三季度的比赛中夺回了第二名。
